The African Producers Accelerator (APA), an initiative designed to address persistent industry barriers faced by mid-career African film and television producers, has announced the six participants selected for its 2026 edition.
These producers, chosen from 267 applications spanning 31 countries, include South Africa’s Babalwa Baartman (“Good Madam”) and David Franciscus (“Street Trash”); Nigeria’s Mimi Bartels (“Adire”) and Abba Makama (“The Lost Okoroshi”); Ghana’s Kofi Owusu-Afriyie (“The Fisherman”); and Sudan’s Khalid Awad (“Goodbye Julia”).
Launched in 2025 by Big World Cinema in collaboration with the Bertha Foundation, the APA aims to provide a comprehensive response to challenges many African producers encounter, offering bespoke advisory work, business development support, and curated access to investors and international networks.
After an intensive three-month preparation period, participants will pitch their projects to selected film investors. These pitches are scheduled first at a lab in Cape Town in July, and then at CANEX WKND, a four-day industry event in Lagos in November. Alumni from the APA’s inaugural edition will also participate in the investor program alongside the new cohort.
The participant selection was announced Friday at the Cannes Film Festival, where program backers also revealed two new partnerships with leading African institutions.
South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), the government film funding agency, has joined as a program partner. The NFVF will support the Cape Town lab, where participants will refine their pitches to prospective investors.
Additionally, CANEX (Creative Africa Nexus), a program by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) promoting Africa’s creative industries, has become the APA’s pan-African institutional partner. CANEX will co-deliver the program’s culminating phase at CANEX WKND in November, providing participants with formal pitch presentations, curated one-on-one investment meetings, and direct access to CANEX’s investment pipeline and decision-makers.
APA co-founder Tamsin Ranger expressed excitement about the new African partners and the enhanced support available to African producers.
The 2026 African Producers Accelerator is managed by Big World Cinema and backed by its founding partner, the Bertha Foundation. The program is led by Big World’s Tamsin Ranger and Steven Markovitz, who collectively bring over three decades of experience in African film production and distribution. They are supported by senior industry advisors.
Funding for the APA is provided by the Bertha Foundation, the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa (NFVF), and CANEX.
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